Decriminalisation of sex industry positive move

Decriminalisation of New
Zealand’s sex industry has resulted in safer, healthier
sex workers, a new book by University of Otago,
Christchurch, researcher Gillian Abel shows.

Since
decriminalisation seven years ago sex workers are more
empowered to insist on safe sex, Abel’s book “Taking the
crime out of sex work – New Zealand sex workers’ fight
for decriminalisation’’ shows.

Abel is a senior
lecturer at the University of Otago, Christchurch’s Public
Health and General Practice department.

Abel says the book provides compelling evidence
decriminalisation has achieved the aim of addressing sex
workers’ human rights and has had a positive effect on
their health and safety.

Decriminalisation has also
provided sex workers with more tools to manage their work
environment. With knowledge of their employment rights,
brothel workers are better able to assert these rights with
brothel operators and clients, Abel says.

The relationship
between sex workers – particularly street workers – and
police has improved, the book shows.

They are more likely
to report violence against them to police, Abel
says.

Despite vast improvements in the safety of sex
workers since decriminalisation, there is still work to be
done, she says.

There is still stigma associated with the
job.

Government social policies need to be improved to
protect those aged under 18 entering sex work, such as
freeing up access to the independent youth benefit.
Likewise, greater support is needed for transgender youth,
who are particularly vulnerable to being drawn into the
industry, Abel says.

Some comments from sex workers
included in the book are:

“So yeah, so say just the
power it’s given us as the professionals, that we have the
law behind us and we can say, “Look if you do this, we can
prosecute you”, like any other place where they break, you
know, the law.” (Sheila, managed worker, female)

“It
surely must give us rights. We’re not invisible people. We
are human beings, and if we’re being attacked, we have the
right also to the same protection as anyone else. I must say
when the law changed, it did turn, it did make it even
easier because you could just ring the police and just say,
you know, and they’d be up there like a shot.” (Josie,
private worker, female)

“For the last couple of years,
the police have been really good, really on to it. So
we’ve been having more patrol cars going down the street.
So that’s, that’s real good. Yeah, yeah, now they
actually care. Before [law change] they just didn’t care.
You know, if a girl, if a worker gets raped or, you know,
anything like that, there wasn’t much, then there wasn’t
much they could do. But now that the law’s changed, it’s
changed the whole thing.” (Joyce, street and private
worker, female)

“You cannot do a job without using
protection. The law has changed so much. It’s made people
think a lot more.” (Joyce, street and private worker,
female)The book can be bought from May 19 at
policypress.co.uk

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